JCP&L Phone Scams Prompts MC Prosecutor’s Advisory

A sharp rise in the number of JCP&L scam calls, triggers and advisory from Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. A number of JCP&L customers have reported getting hostile calls from people demanding payment for an electric bill or risk being shut off in a few hours.

"Don't be bullied by these unscrupulous operators," said Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni. "Nobody doing good business is calling you to threaten you. Companies want to work with you during these trying economic times and want to continue their relationship with their customers."

Gramiccioni said a huge red flag is someone demanding payment of a bill using a pre-paid debit card, such as a Green Dot card. According to a written statement from JCP&L Vice President of Operations Anthony Hurley, JCP&L would never demand payment of their electric bill using a Green Dot card and they would never give a customer a one to two-hour window of time to make a payment.

The prosecutor's office said the call itself can also be spoofed to make it look like the call is coming from a JCP&L phone number, even when it is not.

If you have doubts about a call from someone claiming to be from JCP&L ... call the company's customer service number at 1-800-662-3115. Get more information about payment options at www.firstenergycorp.com